Hollywood attractions can be overwhelming (and often disappointing), so stick to these iconic L.A. movie theaters, hotels, restaurants and landmarks
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Written by Michael Juliano
Editor, Time Out Los Angeles
Contributor: Krista Diamond
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Hollywood boasts an international reputationlike no other neighborhood in Los Angeles. But ask your average Angeleno what they think of it and you’ll likely be met with groans. Yes, it’s busy, touristy and often in disrepair. But parts of Hollywood stillsparkle thanks to a few oldglamorous hotels and movie palaces. It’s not quite as full ofcelebrity hangoutsas you may expect, but it is home to a pretty bustling entertainment industryproduction scene. Follow our guide to what to see in Hollywood and tour the iconic movie town’s must-visit attractions, along with a few stops away from the crowdstat line the Walk of Fame.
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Top attractions in Hollywood
- Things to do
- Event spaces
- Hollywood
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This gorgeous outdoor amphitheatre has been hosting concerts since the LA Philharmonic first played here in 1922. Nestled in an aesthetically blessed fold in the Hollywood Hills, the 18,000-seat venue can bring out the romantic in the terminally cynical. It’s the summer home of the LA Phil (and boozy picnics); as long as there’s no performance, it also doubles as a public park.
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- Movie theaters
- Multiplex
- Hollywood
The forecourt of this iconic movie theater, filled with foot and hand prints of Hollywood icons, is kind of a tourist-choked hot mess. Most people flock here to measure their own extremities against the likes of John Wayne and Judy Garland. But if you can get past that, it’s an entirely different story. You can avoid the crowds by catching a flick inside, where the auditorium is as stunning as the IMAX screen’s laser projection quality (perhaps the best in town).
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- Attractions
- Sightseeing
- Hollywood
Originally created in 1923, the then “Hollywoodland” sign was supposed to be up for only a year and a half, yet here it is over a century later. Getting close to the Hollywood Sign, though, is an often contentious issue thanks to pressure from local homeowners. You can catch a dead-on glimpse of the sign on Beachwood Drive, or farther up the hill near Lake Hollywood Park. Looking to get even closer? Go horseback riding at Sunset Ranch or—of you’re alright with a view from behind—lace up for a trek along theotherwise off limitsroad on Mt. Lee Drive to where you will be standing directly above the Hollywood Sign and can experience a total 360-degree view of the cityscape.
Book a horseback ride tour near the Hollywood Sign.
- Hotels
- Boutique hotels
- Hollywood
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This 1927 landmark, a beautiful example of Spanish colonial design, once welcomed the A-listers who frequented it during Hollywood’s heyday. It’s worth walking into the Hollywood Roosevelt just to explore its dramatic downstairs lobby—or to bowl a few frames inside swanky bar the Spare Room.
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- Things to do
- Hollywood
If you can stomach the suspect superheroes, claustrophobia-inducing crowds and never-ending line of gift shops, tattoo parlors and lingerie stores, there’s actuallya fair amountof old Hollywood history and glamour to discover along the Walk of Fame. The immortalized names on those famous five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars run from the Walk’s western extreme at the Hollywood and La Brea Gateway to the W Hotel and Pantages Theater at Gower, and additionally on Vine from the Capitol Records Building down to Sunset, near where the original movie studios sprang more than up a century ago.
For a Hollywood Boulevard Walking Tour, click here.
- Attractions
- Parks and gardens
- Hollywood
This 160-acre park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains has one main loop, plus a bevy of dirt hiking trails. The sea of buff trainers and their sleek, sweaty clients can get to be too much during the busy morning and weekend workout traffic, but you’ll be rewarded with some of the best views of the city (and, if you’re lucky, a chance to gawk at power-walking celebs). The southern entrance is at the end of Fuller Avenue in Hollywood; the northern entrance is off the 7300 block of Mulholland Drive.
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- Attractions
- Cemeteries
- Hollywood
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Any cemetery that houses the remains of such celluloid luminaries as Cecil B. DeMille, Jayne Mansfield, Rudolph Valentino and Mel Blanc was bound to become a tourist attraction. Aside from popular posthumous celebs, Hollywood Forever is also home to Cinespia’s summer outdoor movie screenings, an annual Day of the Dead festival and concerts, both outside on the lawn and inside the property’s Masonic lodge.
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- Movie theaters
- Independent
- Hollywood
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An extravagant century-old theater built by the same architect as the Chinese Theatre and home to the first Hollywood premiere, the Egyptian is back aftera three-year restoration project. Now under the ownership of Netflix (the streamer holds special events and premieres there on weekdays), the venueand itstemple-like architecture look absolutely dazzling. The American Cinematheque, the not-for-profit that first revived the venue in the ’90s, continues to programscreenings on weekends with excellent cinematic picks and Q&As.
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- Movie theaters
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- Hollywood
First known as theKodak until its sponsorship swapped to Dolby in 2012, this 3,400-seat theater routinely hosts Broadway plays, high-profile screenings and the occasional concert. But the main attraction here, of course, is theAcademy Awards: Theannual star-studded broadcastwill continue to be hosted here for the forseeable future, and all of the past Best Picture winners line the columns near the entrance.
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- Things to do
- Walks and tours
- Hollywood
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Believe it or not, Paramount is the last major studio to keep its headquarters located in Hollywood itself—and the only oneofany of the neighborhood’s studiosto open its doors to the public. Inside the famous wrought iron gate, you’ll be treated to a guided tram tour through soundstages, the prop house and a sizable New York backlot.
Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.
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